by Annette Mori
Greg began to rise from the floor, so I shouted, “The gun, get the gun, Sydney.”
Sydney had a moment of indecision, which was just enough time for Greg to retrieve his weapon from where it skittered across the floor. This time he took aim at Sydney.
I must have reacted to the scene unfolding before my eyes because Celeste calmly turned her head in Greg’s direction and once again I witnessed a dark purple light shoot from her palm. Whatever the light was it had laser like accuracy, and the gun turned a bright red color.
“Fuck!” Greg shouted as he dropped the flaming red object.
I couldn’t believe my eyes when the gun turned into a puddle of molten hot metal in the corner of the guest bedroom.
Greg started to move toward the bed and I could tell he was furious.
Finally, Sydney vaulted into action as she tackled him from behind and placed a well-executed elbow to his head as his nose met the floor with a sickening crunch. Sydney is a particularly adept fighter and, fortunately for us, her profession keeps her in tiptop shape. Using her knee to push him down again, she jumped up ready to do battle.
Greg was groaning on the floor and I took a second to look down at my chest. When I saw the spot of blood, I freaked out, and I imagine that my eyes rolled back into my head as I promptly passed out.
I don’t think I was out for very long. I felt a soft touch on my face and looked into Celeste’s beautiful lavender eyes. She looked concerned, but she also looked like she was ready to pass out herself. Her face was a ghostly white and her breathing was uneven. I looked around for Sydney and panicked when I didn’t see her, but then I noticed Greg still on the floor and he looked like he was unconscious.
I sat up quickly and asked, “What happened? Where is Sydney?”
“She went to get something called a zip tie.”
I touched my t-shirt where the stain still occupied a large section in a gruesome red hue. “I don’t feel any pain, but I was shot, wasn’t I?”
“I healed your wound because it was a mortal one. You should not feel any after-effects.” She could only whisper.
Five seconds later Celeste slumped on the bed. Her face was devoid of color and I feared for her life.
I scrambled from the bed to search for Sydney. I had a moment of clarity as I realized that what Celeste needed was an energy recharge from the sun, and if we were not able to get her outside as soon as possible, she might actually die.
Sydney came back into the bedroom carrying a fistful of zip ties. I must have had a panicked expression on my face because she asked, “What’s wrong?”
“It’s Celeste. We have to help her. I think she’s dying. We need to move her outside right now.” I could feel the tears slip down my face. I was so thankful that the sun decided to make an appearance. I’d listened to the extended forecast so I expected the sunshine to last for another few days. Not that the weatherman or woman got it right all the time, but I looked out the window after Celeste passed out and saw the clear skies.
“I need to secure Greg first. Just give me thirty seconds.”
Sydney was incredibly efficient as she rolled him over and secured his arms and his ankles together behind his back. I didn’t imagine it would be very comfortable the way she trussed him up, but it served the bastard right. I wanted to kick him as I passed him to get back to Celeste, but I tempered my urge to do some damage to his already marred face.
“You take her head and I’ll take her feet,” Sydney directed. “I have a hammock out back that gets full sun from early morning until late afternoon. It should be comfortable enough.”
“Okay,” I answered.
Thank God Sydney was a take-charge kind of woman, because I was certainly way out of my element.
†
In Sydney’s rush to get inside she had left the patio door open so it was easy to maneuver outside and get Celeste settled in the hammock.
I looked down at Celeste. She still looked sickly, but her breathing seemed to even out a bit. She appeared to be resting comfortably and I wondered how long she would be asleep. I made a mental note to ask her if the energy charge works better when she’s asleep. I didn’t want to wake her up if that was the case, so I walked over to the sliding glass door and Sydney followed me.
Sydney pulled me into a hug and then looked at my shirt. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, Celeste healed me. I think that’s why she’s sick. I think everything she did caused her to expend all her energy. You saw it all, didn’t you? We’re not crazy, are we?” I pleaded with her to tell me that I wasn’t dreaming or seeing things.
She nodded. “Yeah, I saw it all, and if you’re crazy, then so am I.”
“She was telling us the truth all along. I never should have doubted her. I hope she forgives me. Thank God it’s a sunny day. She has to get better and then we have to help her, Sydney.”
“We will, I promise, but right now we have more pressing problems.” Sydney looked away.
I could feel the guilt roll off of her in waves.
“How did he find us?” I managed to squeak out.
“I’m so sorry, Mabs. As soon as I figured it out, I rushed back, but I was too late.”
“Figured what out?”
“Hollie set us up. It’s why she was so desperate to have me talk to her last night. She needed to get me to lead him back to the cabin and then Greg could do his thing while we had coffee this morning. Fortunately for us, Hollie had to gloat a bit about Celeste heading back to the looney bin this morning.”
“I swear I’m going to kill her. I’m done being her personal punching bag. Now she’s hurt two people I care about. She has to be stopped.”
“I know, I know. In her defense, I honestly believe she thought she was protecting me.”
“Bullshit,” I declared.
“Look, all I know is that my cabin is no longer a safe haven. We have to find somewhere else to hole up until I can call in a few favors. I know I joked about the camping thing, but at this point, it’s really our only option. I’m fairly certain that Greg kept his superiors informed and others will follow.”
“God, Sydney, I didn’t mean to get you involved in this mess. I’m so sorry.”
Sydney shrugged. “Eh, what are friends for if you can’t get them involved in your drama.”
“What are we going to do with Greg?”
“Good question. I know some particularly remote places that we can dump him, but I’d be afraid that the stupid bastard wouldn’t be able to find his way out. I don’t want his death on my conscience. For now, we can leave him tied up until Celeste is ready to travel. Maybe she has some alien trick she can use on him.”
“Maybe.” I smiled for the first time that morning. Celeste really was an alien and Sydney was on our side.
I thought about our discussion on love and it suddenly dawned on me that everything Sydney was doing demonstrated her love for me. Maybe she didn’t love me in the same way I loved her, but she was a true friend. I was lucky to have her in my life and I knew I needed to make some changes to let her in a lot more than I had in the past.
Sydney rewarded me with one of her dazzling smiles and touched me on arm. “Come on, let’s go check on our prisoner.”
“I can’t believe boring ole me is in the middle of this impossible situation,” I mumbled.
†
Greg was awake when we went back inside and he looked mighty pissed. He was pulling hard on the zip ties, but they looked like they were just cutting into his skin. The harder he struggled the more painful they became.
“You have no idea who you’re dealing with. You should have stayed out of this. She is far too valuable to us for them to worry about who gets hurt in our attempt to retrieve her and bring her to the lab. They won’t stop until they find her. You have to know how hopeless it is to try to hide that thing. We will find her.” Greg was spitting.
Sydney smirked. “You know, keep talking and where we choose to drop you off will get more and more r
emote. Right now, I would be more concerned with what Celeste might choose to do to you. I’m not so sure the laws on our planet extend to her.”
Greg’s tone immediately became placating. “Look, if you cooperate with us right now, I’ll see what I can do to get you some kind of deal.”
“You must think we have stupid tattooed across our foreheads,” I interjected. “In what dream world would you think we would have one single bit of trust in anything you have to say?”
“Why can’t you realize how important this discovery is to us? This could mean access to advanced technology that would enable the United States to regain our status as the supreme world superpower.”
“From what I gathered from Celeste, her people are a peaceful lot. I wouldn’t expect any type of military advantage with their technology. Isn’t there enough war and violence in the world without you exploiting any knowledge you might acquire from Celeste?” I shook my head.
Sydney touched my shoulder. “Mabs, why don’t you check on how Celeste is doing while I watch this POS.”
“Pose?” I scrunched up my face in confusion.
“Yeah, piece of shit.”
“Oh, I’ll have to remember that one. Is that internet or texting slang?” I asked.
“Both I think. I learned that one from my nephew. It could also mean, parent over shoulder.” She laughed.
“Are you sure you’ll be okay watching the POS?” I had to try out the new lingo. It was fun and it rolled off my tongue like I was some kind of expert at internet slang.
“Ooh, look at you, using internet abbreviations like a pro. Yep, I’ll be fine. Zip ties are more secure than handcuffs and since I’m not really into—well you know, that kind of kink—they were also more available to me.” One corner of Sydney’s mouth lifted in a lopsided smile. It was endearing.
I didn’t really know what Sydney was and wasn’t into, but it didn’t hurt to squirrel that little piece of information away.
“Okay. I’ll check on Celeste and I hope she has a few tricks up her sleeve, because honestly, we’re in kind of a pickle here and I don’t like our odds.”
I left Sydney with Greg and went to check on Celeste.
I’d forgotten about Gizmo. She must have hidden somewhere after she heard the gun go off. She hated loud noises and didn’t particularly bond well with men, so I suspected she gave Greg a wide berth. Once I’d left the bedroom, I spotted her tail peeking out from beneath the couch. She must have slipped under the furniture in an attempt to hide from danger. What a pussy—pun intended.
I made kissing noises and attempted to coax her from her hiding place. “Come on out pretty girl. I won’t let the bad man hurt you. Come on pun’kin. I’ll bet Celeste would love to have you jump up and join her in the hammock.”
Her tail swished back and forth once and then she turned around and her little nose peeked out from under the couch. I squatted down and gently rubbed her nose. That was enough to lure her from her hiding place. She crept out and I picked her up to cradle her in my arms. I knew that Celeste had bonded with her so I thought she would be a welcome surprise for when she woke up. Petting Gizmo was always very comforting and healing for me, so I’d hoped it would be for Celeste. Armed with my own brand of calming energy, I walked out to the back yard.
†
Celeste was still sleeping peacefully in the hammock and her color looked slightly better than before. However, that wasn’t saying too much because earlier she looked like walking death, a zombie without the grotesque decaying face.
I gently placed Gizmo on the hammock and she promptly curled up next to her sleeping charge. Gizmo knew her role and wasn’t about to wake her up.
She looked so beautiful and peaceful in sleep, but her frailty alarmed me. What if she wasn’t able to get enough energy from the sun to recover fully? Had she sacrificed her life for me? I felt helpless to do anything but watch over her and make sure the POS didn’t get his meat hooks in her. My stress-induced thoughts must have affected her because she began to stir.
Her lavender eyes blinked open and she focused on me. “Bella, are you not well?”
I stroked her arm. “Oh Celeste, I’m perfect thanks to you. You had me really worried. Are you feeling any better? We brought you out into the sunshine hoping that would help.”
“Yes it has helped. I estimate that I am about ten percent charged. I was dangerously close to empty. I require at least four to six hours more in the sunshine to charge to an acceptable level, more if I am required to expend a lot more energy. What has become of Greg?”
“Sydney is watching him. We have a small problem because we’re not really sure what to do with him. We were hoping you had some kind of power that we could use without killing him to get him off your track. I’m so sorry I doubted you. We don’t doubt you anymore. You can read minds, right? Can you manipulate thoughts?” I asked.
“Sometimes I pick up words or random thoughts, but mostly I pick up on energy signatures. We are forbidden to exercise mind control.”
Celeste seemed to go somewhere almost like she was visiting a fond memory as she smiled. “When we were younger we didn’t always abide by the rules, and Zaria, my energy mate and I, would play mind games with each other. We grew up together and would try to get the other to do unconventional things through mind control. She was much better than I was. One time she got me to climb up Cernia Hill, remove my outerwear, and swing my naked backside back and forth in front of the gathering. My caretakers were not at all pleased with our games, especially when we tried them out on others. Later, Zaria’s skill at mind control was very useful when helping our injured comrades endure the pain and pass to the other energy realm. I learned to refine my skill as well. It was another way to help her as the primary healer.”
“So, let me get this straight. You pulled pranks, she made you moon a bunch of people, and you helped with hospice care.”
“I am not familiar with the things you have cited,” she replied.
I was liking Celeste more and more and it seemed that her species was not that much different than ours. I suppose youthful indiscretions happened throughout the galaxy. I lamented about a time in my life that I would never get back. I’d never had the opportunity to goof around or play pranks when I was younger because I was almost entirely a loner. I vowed to change that and to start to live a life I’d never allowed myself to do before. I wanted laughter, playfulness, and yes, even trouble in my life. No matter what happened with Celeste, I pledged to myself that I would start living, not just existing anymore.
I shook my head. “Never mind that. Do you think you could get Greg to call his superior and convince him that he wasn’t able to find you, and that his sources revealed that you were on your way to…hmmm…how about Alaska?”
“Yes, I possess the skill to do this. I suppose this would be a special exemption similar to when the guiding council allowed us to use this skill with our fallen comrades.”
“You wouldn’t by any chance have the ability to wipe Greg’s memory so that whatever information you plant in his head is all that will be revealed to his superiors?”
“That is a little more complicated, but yes we learned to enter the mind to not only alter thoughts and beliefs, but to remove them entirely. This is a difficult process and not guaranteed to succeed. It will require more energy than I currently possess. I am able to exercise minor mind control to resolve the immediate issue. I will be able to misdirect information.”
“When do you think you would be able to safely do this? I’m worried that someone else may be on their way and we don’t have a lot of time to send them in a different direction.”
“It would be best if I absorbed at least fifteen more Earth minutes of your sun’s energy. That should be sufficient.”
“I’ll get Sydney to bring him out here so you can continue to recharge in the sun.”
She nodded and cuddled up with Gizmo as she stroked her head in a loving gesture. Lucky cat.
I ran back
into the cabin to update Sydney on the plan.
I was feeling more confident that things would turn out okay. I didn’t really think beyond this particular moment of tribulation. I wasn’t some master spy or anything and neither was Sydney, so I didn’t really appreciate the seriousness of our dilemma. The only thing on our side was an alien with a set of particularly useful skills. At least Sydney knew how to survive in the wilderness. My only contribution would be a plethora of useless trivia. Useless facts were my specialty and they weren’t even that interesting. It’s not like I ever mesmerized anyone with my witty knowledge at a social gathering. I wasn’t even handy to have around for game night because Trivial Pursuit was so passé. On the other hand, I was getting pretty good with Words with Friends. Internet games were right up my alley because I didn’t have to interact with live people. Maybe the meek or at least the introverts would inherit the Earth because it seemed like face-to-face interaction was becoming obsolete.
Chapter Seven
Sydney was leaning against the wall with her arms crossed over her chest. Her outward appearance was casual, but I sensed that she was nervous. She fixed her eyes on Greg, but the minute she heard me enter the room, she looked up and started scanning all around her until her gaze landed on me. I could see her eyes relax when they met mine and it had the same effect on me.
I slowly approached and got close enough to talk to her without Greg listening in.
“Do you think it’s okay to leave him for a few minutes. I need to talk to you,” I whispered in her ear.
She seemed to shiver for a few seconds, nodded, and walked out to the main living area.
